The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) and Nepal Telecommunications Company Ltd. (NTC) have signed an agreement to roll out a major optical fibre expansion project in Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. The initiative will be implemented under the Rural Telecommunications Development Fund (RTDF) and is expected to significantly advance Nepal’s Digital Nepal Framework.
The agreement was formalized in the presence of Minister for Communications and Information Technology (CIT) Prithvi Subba Gurung and Ministry Secretary Radhika Aryal. NTA Chair Bhupendra Bhandari and NTC Acting Managing Director Sabina Maskey signed the documents on behalf of their organizations. Secretary Aryal emphasized timely completion, noting that the project would be exemplary if delivered on schedule.
The three-year project, estimated at Rs two billion, will install approximately 1,900 kilometers of optical fibre across 23 districts and 194 local levels in the two provinces. According to NTA Chair Bhandari, earlier efforts assigned to UTL and Smart Telecom failed, but this project will be carried out with stronger oversight to ensure success.
NTC’s Acting Managing Director Sabina Maskey highlighted that the company has been expanding broadband fibre for the past nine years and reaffirmed its commitment to delivering the project on time. The expansion is expected to improve digital access, enhance connectivity, and support the government’s broader ambition to establish a digitally inclusive Nepal.
